Answers to Questions Unasked

In the past twenty-four hours, this blog has had visits from (in descending order): the US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Estonia, France, the UK, Indonesia, Italy, and South Korea. I often ask myself why I am getting all these visits (now over 63,000 of them), from all over the world. It is a question that I can't answer.

But there are many questions that I can answer, although most of you are too polite to ask them. So I'll tell you what I can.

I am a poet, writer, photographer, translator, naturist, feminist, a scholar and a seeker of truth. Languages have been very important in my life, and a major interest of mine since childhood. I can speak half a dozen modern languages, and can read a few ancient ones. I have also constructed a few languages of my own, including Romanyol, Almensk, and Udugi (the latter is based on Cherokee vocabulary). I write mostly in English, but sometimes also in Spanish, Portunhol, or Udugi. I am the translator of the works of Maria de Naglowska from French to English.

On my mother's side I am mostly Irish, with a little bit of Cherokee mixed in. On my father's side, his Traxler ancestors came to America before the Revolution, and through my great-grandmother Moore claim a connection to the poet Robert Burns. His mother's ancestors, Jacobsons and Bloomquists, came to the US in the nineteenth century from Sweden, having passed through Finland, NW Russia, and the Ukraine. Like many others, most of them conveniently forgot about their Jewish heritage after their arrival in the US. It is a heritage that I love, and I will never deny or hide it.

I was raised Catholic, a religion that I have not practiced since the age of twenty. In addition to Catholicism, I have been influenced by Judaism and by Hinduism. I do not practice these religions, nor will I proselytize for them.

I have consciously been a feminist for about 45 years, and a naturist (mostly of the home-and-beach variety) for more than 40 years. I have been a serious amateur photographer for about 50 years.

I am 76 years old, married, and currently live in Florida (though I have also lived in California, Arizona, Spain, North Carolina, Oregon, and Uruguay).

I am a lover of the beauty and truth about which Keats wrote. I am quite capable of being wrong about something, but I will never lie to you.

Text © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler. Photo by Fergus McCarthy, Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Less Time than Alligator / ᎦᏲᎵᎨ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ ᏏᏅ ᏧᎳᏍᎩ

We have been here
less time than alligator,
but more time than
computer.
We remember nature,
brother- and sisterhood,
survival
of family, of tribe, of clan,
other lands and lives,
other skies above.
And through it all,
we remember love.

ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎨᏒᎢnᏔ ᎠᎭᏂ
ᎦᏲᎵᎨ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ ᏏᏅ ᏧᎳᏍᎩ,
ᎠᏎᏃ ᏏᏊ ᏏᏅ
ᎠᎦᏙᎲᏒ-ᎠᏍᏆᎪᏗᏍᎩ.
ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᏅᏓᏗᏍᏓᏎ ᎬᏩᎣᏁ,
ᎤᎸ ᎠᎴ ᏗᎾᏓᏅᏞᏦ,
ᎬᎵᏱᎵᏒ-ᎠᎴᏂᏙᎲᏁ
ᏏᏓᏁᎸᎯ, ᎠᎾᎳᏍᏓᎸ ᎠᎴ ᏧᏂᏴᏫ ᎥᎿᎢ,
ᏐᎢ ᎡᎶᎯᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎥᎴᏂᏙᎲᏗ,
ᏐᎢ ᎦᎸᎶᎢᏗ ᎦᎸᎳᏗᏢ.
ᎠᎴ ᏂᎦᏛ ᏗᎬᏩᎶᏒ,
ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᏅᏓᏗᏍᏓᏎ ᎨᏳᏁ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

He Is Part of Nature / ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎢᎦᏛ ᎬᏩᎣ ᎥᎿᎢ

He is part of nature,
and can be no other.
He is every sister
and every brother.

ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎢᎦᏛ ᎬᏩᎣ ᎥᎿᎢ,
ᎠᎴ ᏰᎵᏆᏎ ᎨᏒᎢ ᎧᏂᎩᏛ ᏐᎢ.
ᎠᏨᏯᎢ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏂᎦᏛ ᎤᎸ
ᎠᎴ ᏂᎦᏛ ᎤᏙ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

63,000 Visits

Today we are crossing the threshold of 63,000 visits to this poetry blog (since its inception in October 2016). It's been well under three years, so we are getting more than 20,000 blog visits per year.

This year, the world is in a mess. Most importantly, we are in a climate crisis, and politicians, who are willfully denying it, are prostituting themselves to the willful denial of their constituents, especially the wealthy ones, who can contribute more significantly to their campaigns. Systemic corruption runs rampant through our lives and through our institutions.

Each of us will deal with this in her or his way. Personally, I try to find inspiration in nature, in the remote past, and in a future that sometimes makes me shudder. I try to find inspiration in art, in photography, and in at least some of my fellow humans. When all that fails, my last resort is humor.

Thanks to all of you for your continuing interest and loyalty. ꮹꮩ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Jacobson בן נח Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

Triptych

From my chair,
I survey the world.
I can comment on what I see,
but can I change it?

We are hurtling through space--
in a race
to where?

In the end,
it all depends
on us.

Text and images © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.

I Am Black / ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᎾᎨ

I am black
and I am white,
and everything in between.
I am the wind in the pines,
I am Spirit.

ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᎾᎨ
ᎠᎴ ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏁᎬ,
ᎠᎴ ᎢᎬᏩᏓᎴᎩ ᎠᏰᎵ.
ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᏃᎴ ᏃᏥᏗ ᎭᏫᎾ,
ᎠᏯ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏓᏅᏙ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.

We Are One / ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏌᏊ

We are one
and we are many,
sisters and brothers
waiting for the dawn.

ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᏌᏊ
ᎠᎴ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎤᎪᏗᏗ,
ᎤᎸᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏙᏗ,
ᎠᎦᏘᏴ ᎤᎩᏥᏍᎬᏁ.

Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.